Friction drive



Ju ne 22,1948. H. D. CROFT 2,444,017 f FRICTION DRIVE Filed May 24, 1944 Patented June 22, 1948 UNITED '1 TAT ar QFFICE Perkins Machine and Gear Company, West Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 24, 1944, Serial No.537,102

This invention relates to improvements in washing machine drives and is directed more particularly to mechanisms for oscillating the agitator shaft thereof.

The principal objects of the invention pertain to driving mechanism for oscillating the shaft which .carries the agitator of a washing machine that is characterized by frictionally engageable driving and driven members and means for applying pressure to said members in varyingdegrees so that the driven member may be oscillated through various angles.

According to one feature of the invention the frictionally engageable members are arranged so that at least one is somewhat yieldable, thereby to overcome inequalities in the engageable faces and to maintain the frictional engagement uniform throughout the oscillating range.

According to another feature of the invention,

it is desired to provide means whereby the driv ing connection is more or less limited to the central portion of movement of the driving mem ber. In this way, as the angle of oscillation of the driven member is increased from a lesser anglethe increase is uniform at opposite sides or ends of the central portion and at the same time the driven member does not tend in its oscillations to crawl around the axis of oscillation which is objectionable since clothes or material being washed is wound around the agitator.

Various other novel features and advantages of the invention will be observed from the following description of the invention in the form at present preferred.

. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial inverted plan view of a washing machine tub having the novel features of the invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the driving member of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the driving and driven members of the driving mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line li of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of driving members showing modified forms of the invention.

Referring now to drawings more in detail the invention will be full described.

A tub of a washing machine represented by 2 having a bottom wall ll which carries a casing operating the usual wringer. A motor I2 is sup- 4 Claims. (Cl. 74206) ing 38.

2 ported by a suitable bracket arrangement l4 and has a shaft l6 connected by a, coupling lBto a shaft 20 rotatable in the housing. A worm 22 on the shaft 20 'meshes with a gear 24 on shaft Ill whereby said shaft is driven from the motor.

An agitator shaft 26 is journalled in the housing and extends upwardly therefrom into the tub for carryingan agitator or paddle. A driven member 28 is fixed to the shaft 26. I

A link 35 is pivotally connected to the member 2d and to a driving member 32, as shown. Said driving member is oscillatable on a part 34 of a stud which has part 36 rotatable in a bear- The driving member 32 carries a pair of spaced plates to provided with angularly disposed faces as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These faces are adapted to engage complementalfaces of the driven member 28. l a

As the driving'member 32 oscillates back and forth the driven member 28 is oscillated thereby according to the engagement of the members. Stud parts 34 and 36 are relatively eccentrically disposed so that as the stud is turned in one direction or the other the axis of oscillation. of the drivingmember 32 is moved towards and away from the driven member 28. As the driving member is moved towards the driven member'the said driven member is oscillated through a greater angle than. when moved away therefrom.

Therefor the angle of oscillation may be varied from zero to maximum by adjusting the axis of oscillation of the driving member and may be accomplished in any way desired. As an illustration, a lever 44 is fixed to the stud part 36 which is connected by a, rod 46 to a lever 48 fixed on a rod 59 journalled in a bearing 52 associated with the tub. l

An extension 55 of rod 55 extends upwardly alongside of the tub which may be swung in. one direction or the other to rotate rod 50 and swing lever it so as to oscillate stud 34.

A member Bil is slidable but non-rotatable on the rod. 56 and has a serrated face for engagfixed on the rod and the member 60. The mechanism described releasably holds the rod in various Positions of adjustment.

Thus, by moving the driving member. in and out, the driven member 28 and thereby the shaft 36 may be oscillated back and forth through various angles to provide the desired angle of oscillation of the agitator carried by said shaft.

The working portions of lates 40 of the driv= ing member 32 are preferably relatively yieldable to some extent so as to compensate for irregularities in the engageable faces of the driven and driving members. That is, the working portions spring to a slight extent, at least, whereby the engageable faces are maintained in the desired relationship for smooth operation throughout the range of oscillation.

It is desired that the driven member be driven by the driving member at the central portion of the arc of the driving faces. That is to say where the driving member has been adjusted to oscillate the driven member through a relatively small angle, say an angle of ten degrees, it is preferable that the driving action take place at the central portion of the arc of the members 46. When the angle is increased from the assumed ten degrees, by moving the driving members towards the driven member, that portion of the arc of the driving member which drives member 32 is increased but remains centrally of the arc. This may be accomplished in various ways in order to produce the maximum wedging action centrally of the arc of the members 40.

As an instance, the radius R of the arc of the driving members Ml may be struck from a point outwardly from the axis of oscillation of the driving member 32 (see Fig. 2). In this way the distance from the axis of oscillation to the center of the arc is greater than at the sides thereof.

In another way, the arc is formed by two radii R having their axes at either side of the axis of oscillation of the driving member (see Fig. 5).

As a further modification, as shown in Fig. 6, the inclined faces are arranged to have a greater overall width therethrough at the central part of the arc than at th sides thereof.

It is only necessary that the wedging action of the members 40 be slightly greater at the central portion than at the sides thereof in order to obtain the driving action at the central portion of said members 40. An increase or decrease of the wedging action or pressure to bring about an increased or decreased angle of oscillation of the driven member will proceed from or recede to the central portion of the arc of the driving members.

It may be desirable to provide a driving member such as 30 that is adapted to coact with the driven member in which case said driving member may be provided with relatively yieldable members having frictional faces that are complemental to those of the driven member.

While the driven member is shown as a female member and the driving member as a male member it may be desired within the scope of the invention to provide an apparatus wherein the driving member is the female and the driven member the male member.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A mechanism of the class described comprising in combination, a circular driven member oscillatable on a fixed axis having a circumferential groove provided with outwardly converging peripheral inner upper and lower friction faces, a driving member oscillatable on a movable axis having spaced driving elements in the shape of a segment of a circle provided with friction outer faces arranged on the arc of a circle disposed between and substantially complemental to those of the driven member for wedging therebetween to oscillate said driven member, means to relatively adjust the axes of oscillation of said driving and driven members thereby to adjust the wedging action and vary the angle of oscillation of the driven member, said driving elements being yieldable relative to one another and to the driving member and the friction faces thereof being arranged to provide a greater wedging action centrally of said are than at the sides thereof.

2. A mechanism of the class described comprising in combination, a circular driven member oscillatable on a fixed axis having a circumferential groove provided with inner outwardly converging upper and lower friction faces, a driving member oscillatable on a movable axis having spaced driving elements in the shape of a segment of a circle provided with friction faces arranged on the arc of a circle disposed between and substantially complemental to those of the driven member for wedging therebetween to oscillate said driven member, means to relatively adjust the axes of oscillation of said driving and driven members thereby to adjust the wedging action and vary the angle of oscillation of the driven member, said driving elements being yieldable towards one another and relative to the driven member and the friction faces being arranged to provide a greater wedging action centrally of said are than at a side thereof by forming said are on a radius disposed between the axis of oscillation of the driving member and said arc.

3. A. mechanism of the class described comprising in combination, a circular driven member oscillatable on a fixed axis having a circumferential groove provided with outwardly couverging and adjacent upper and lower friction faces, a driving member oscillatable on a movable axis having outer spaced driving elements provided with friction faces arranged on the arc of a circle disposed between and complemental to those of the driven member for wedging therebetween to oscillate said driven member, means to relatively adjust the axes of oscillation of said driving and driven members thereby to adjust the wedging action and vary the angle of oscillation of the driven member, said driving elements being yieldable towards one another and relative to the driven member and the friction faces thereof being arranged to provide a greater wedging action centrally of said are than at a side thereof by forming said arc from radii disposed on opposite sides of the axis of oscillation of the driving member.

4. A mechanism of the class described comprising in combination, a circular driven member oscillatable on a fixed axis having a circumferential groove provided with outwardly converging upper and lower friction faces, a driving member oscillatable on a movable axis having spaced driving elements provided with friction faces arranged on the arc of a circle disposed between and substantially complemental to those of the driven member for wedging therebetween to oscillate said driven member, means to relatively adjust the axes of oscillation of said driving and driven members thereby to adjust the wedging action and vary the angle of oscillation of the driven member, said driving elements being yieldable towards one another and relative to the driving member, and the friction faces thereof being arranged to provide a greater wedging action centrally of said are than at a side thereof by providing a greater overall thickness through the friction faces of the driving elements centrally thereof than at the sides thereof.

HIRAM D. CROFT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 833,994 Bradshaw Oct. 23, 1906 1,042,720 Richards Oct. 29, 1912 Number Number 15 613,009 

